7 Ways to Keep Your Relationship Growing

Trust your partner by trusting yourself first. Be open and honest with your partner by being open and honest with yourself first. Cultivating a healthy relationship is an ongoing adventure -- requiring playfulness, creativity, and commitment.

I am a sexual educator teaching adults how to understand our bodies on a deeper level. Confidentlover.com

11/25/2015 11:07am ET | Updated November 25, 2016

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boyfriend and girlfriend make heart shape of the hands

Many relationships and marriages often fail because of how two people grow together. The relationship either grows into love and harmony - or it grows into suspicion, doubt, resentment - eventually leading to a break up or divorce.

Improving our relationship is an ongoing adventure, because a sexy, exciting relationship takes playfulness, creativity, commitment and an open heart.

As a wise man once said you will never reach your full potential if you don't open your heart.

Here are 7 ways to keep your relationship growing

1) Trust

Nothing hurts and breaks a relationship as quickly as dishonesty. When trust is lost it motivates behaviors such as criticism, rejection, and jealously.

Honesty and trust are the highest form of intimacy. If you tell a lie once then all your truths can become questionable. When you are honest, you produce honest actions and reactions.

2) Desire

Desire serves as the connection between love and sex.

The desire we feel for the other person is an indication of the liveliness and spontaneity in our lives and in our relationship.

Desire is to love what wood is for fire. Desire without love can result in a state of longing and neediness.

Love is a word that covers a variety of feelings. Love is an emotion. On one hand it can be an absolute delight, while on the other hand it can be pure kindness.

Love reveals our potential to see, feel, touch, and smell, that which we've never dreamed of.

How we experience love is a choice. It can come from nowhere and feel like that person was made specifically for us.

Loving one another means accepting each other exactly as they are. You know everything about the person and welcome it all. You have seen all their traits and still want to be a part of their life.

Mature love is more than just a warm feeling it's a way of life - like creating a priceless work of art. It requires acceptance, patience, and above all, daily practice.

4) Intimacy

One of the most important sentiments of human love is intimacy, because it's one of the most profound expressions that means, "in-to-me-see."

Intimacy is being accepting and being vulnerable. Intimacy doesn't mean falling in love in the conventional sense of romantic infatuation, but emerging in love by understanding what makes you and your partner expand and grow together.

5) Communication

Open, honest communication should be part of every healthy relationship.

Important conversations shouldn't be put off, but neither should they be initiated during awkward or inappropriate times. Bringing up bedroom issues during a holiday party is not the best place to have such a discussion.

Deep conversations require deep listening. Being honest when you feel angry isn't easy, but if what you're saying isn't true, then nothing real is being shared.

Going into a conversation with an agenda may lead to missed opportunities for connection, deeper understanding of your partner, and their reasons for how they approach certain situations.

The more attached you are to the outcome the more disappointed you'll be.

6) Self-Awareness

The way you view your strengths, opinions, emotions, and appearance is your single most important view of reality. Don't abandon yourself.

Take responsibility for your actions and growth by giving top priority to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of your life.

The way we define our selves is a choice. A choice we make every moment.

When you know who you are, you don't allow others to define you.

When you neglect to take loving care of yourself -- (by ignoring your own feelings, and judging yourself) you end up feeling needy and insecure. This feeds the fear of losing your partner or losing yourself.

Fear closes the heart. Love opens it. Healthy self-love starts by learning to be present and mindful of your feelings -- rather than continuing to avoid them.

7) Freedom

Being in a relationship requires connectedness and aloneness. It's a great feeling when you can maintain your freedom and independence while also remaining deeply connected to your partner.

A relationship rooted in fear-based emotions such as jealousy, anger, insecurity, anxiety and ownership can only create doubt, suspicion, and neediness.

Trust your partner by trusting yourself first. Be open and honest with your partner by being open and honest with yourself first.